Jackrabbits aim to bounce back against NDSU

Saturday, April 13

Omaha, Neb.

noon

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

Photo by: Mike Janes Photography

4/11/2019 5:27:00 PM | Baseball

Games 28-30: North Dakota State (8-15 overall, 6-6 Summit League) vs. South Dakota State (14-13, 7-5)

When	Saturday, April 13 • noon (doubleheader) \| Sunday, April 14 • 1 p.m. Note schedule and location changes
Where	Seymour Smith Park \| Omaha, Nebraska
TV	None
Radio	None
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota State \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State University baseball team's continuous traveling road show has hit another detour as the Jackrabbits have moved a Summit League weekend series for the second week in a row. This time, the Jackrabbits will take on rival North Dakota State in a three-game set to be played Saturday and Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska.

The series, which marks the halfway point of the Summit League season, was originally scheduled to be played at Erv Huether Field in Brookings, but was moved due to a winter storm that hit the region on Wednesday. The series also has been condensed to two days, with a doubleheader slated for noon Saturday and concluding with a single game Sunday starting at 1 p.m. All games will be played at Seymour Smith Park.

Live stats for all three games will be available through GoJacksLive.com.

SDSU enters the weekend in second place in the Summit League standings with a 7-5 mark in league play and a 14-13 overall record. The Jackrabbits, who entered the series on a five-game winning streak, fell victim to a sweep by league-leading Omaha last weekend in a series played in Sioux Falls.

North Dakota State, meanwhile, comes into the weekend tied for third place in the Summit League standings with Oral Roberts at 6-6. Overall, the Bison are 8-15 overall after dropping a 4-3 decision at Minnesota earlier in the week. NDSU moved to the .500 mark in league play by sweeping a three-game series at Purdue Fort Wayne last weekend.

THE SERIES: Saturday's first game will mark the 187th meeting on the baseball diamond between SDSU and North Dakota State. In the series that dates back to 1956, the Jackrabbits hold a 117-69 lead.

Since the two programs joined The Summit League at the start of the 2008 season, the Jackrabbits hold a 27-26 edge in league regular season games. The Jackrabbits won the first two games of the 2018 season series, sweeping a doubleheader played at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field in Sioux Falls.

Josh Falk went 7-for-10 at the plate and homered in both games to help lead SDSU to the sweep of the twinbill. The Jackrabbits rallied from early deficits and received strong relief pitching in both games en route to wins by scores of 5-4 and 12-9.

NDSU returned the favor by sweeping a three-game series in Fargo on the final weekend of the Summit League season. The Bison rallied from a six-run deficit in the ninth inning of the opener to win 15-14 in 10 innings, then claimed a sweep of a doubleheader with a 7-1 victory in the nightcap.

In the series finale, NDSU again rallied to post a one-run victory, winning 6-5.

SDSU exacted a measure of revenge in the Summit League Baseball Championship a week later, eliminating the Bison from the tournament with a 13-7 victory. The Jackrabbits scored four runs in the top of the first inning and later received home runs from Anthony Schneider and Tony Kjolsing.

Bryce Johnson pitched seven strong innings to post his first win in an SDSU uniform.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS: South Dakota State has been a consistent winner in The Summit League since it became a league member a decade ago. In 11-plus seasons as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 169-133 (.560 winning percentage) in conference games. SDSU has posted a .500 or better record in league play eight times and has qualified for the four-team postseason tournament nine out of the 10 years it has been eligible.

The Jackrabbits shared a Summit League regular season title in 2010 and won the Summit postseason tournament in 2013.

LAST WEEK: Following are some highlights from last week's series against league-leading Omaha:

The Jackrabbits held a 10-1 lead in the April 5 series opener against Omaha before the Mavericks rallied for a 12-10 victory.
Josh Falk and Drew Beazley each homered twice in the weekend series.
SDSU stole three bases in the series opener, with Gus Steiger swiping his team-leading 10th base of the season
Luke Ira had his eight-game hitting streak snapped in Game 2 of the April 6 twinbill.
Riley McSherry pitched four innings of shutout relief in the series finale, marking his longest outing of the season.
After starting Summit League play 0-for-22 at the plate, Landon Badger has hit safely in each of the last five games, going a combined 9-for-18 (.500) with two doubles and six RBIs.

HOT STREAKS: The Jackrabbits' regular starting infielders rank as the team's top four hitters thanks to strong starts during the Summit League season.

Sophomore shortstop Gus Steiger leads the team with a .331 batting average and has reached base safely in 22 consecutive games. With hits in 19 games during his current streak, Steiger is batting .360 (36-for-100) with nine doubles, four home runs and 21 runs batted in. He has collected two or more hits in 10 of the 22 games, including four-hit performances March 8 at UA Little Rock and March 24 at Oral Roberts.

Freshman Drew Beazley, who was named Summit League Player of the Week on March 25, has raised his batting average to .329 on the strength of recording hits in eight of the 10 league contests in which he has played. The Johnston, Iowa, native is batting a team-best .417 in league play, going 15-for-36 with five doubles, four home runs and 12 runs batted in, while posting an .889 slugging percentage.

Beazley also has made seven appearances out of the bullpen and shares the team lead with three saves.

Fellow freshman Luke Ira has started all 27 games this season, mostly at third base. He shares the team lead with 12 multi-hit games while batting .282 overall. He delivered the game-winning RBI?double in the top of the ninth inning as part of a two-hit performance in the March 24 series finale at Oral Roberts.

Rounding out the starting infield is another newcomer, Braeden Brown. A junior college transfer from Burlington, Iowa, Brown is batting .283 with a pair of home runs and 18 runs batted in. He carries a modest four-game hitting streak into Friday's series opener, including a pair of two-hit games.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State University freshman Nic McCay was honored as Summit League Pitcher of the Week on April 1 after tossing a seven-hit shutout to finish off a weekend sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne.

A right-hander from Carlisle, Iowa, McCay struck out 11 batters and walked only one as the Jackrabbits prevailed 8-0 in a March 31 game that was played at Notre Dame's Frank Eck Stadium. In improving to 4-1 on the season, McCay retired 12 consecutive Mastodon hitters in a stretch between the third and seventh innings. All seven hits he surrendered were singles.

McCay became the first Jackrabbit to pitch a nine-inning shutout since Stephen Bougher in 2012 at SIU Edwardsville.

McCay is the second South Dakota State pitcher to be honored as Summit League Pitcher of the Week in 2019, joining left-hander Brady Stover, who received the award on the season's opening weekend. In addition, Jackrabbit position players Logan Holtz (March 4), Gus Steiger (March 11) and Drew Beazley (March 25) have been selected as Summit League Player of the Week this season.

A CALL TO ARMS: South Dakota State starting pitchers have thrown at least five innings in 19 of the team's 27 games so far this season, including each of the team's first 10 Summit League contests.

Junior Tyler Olmstead has taken over the No. 1 starter's role in recent weeks and has tallied 47 strikeouts in 47 innings. A second-team all-Summit League selection in 2018, Olmstead has pitched five-plus innings in six of his seven starts, including taking a shutout into the ninth inning of his March 16 outing against Western Illinois.

Freshman Nic McCay has hurled at least seven innings in three of his last five outings, highlighted by a nine-inning, 11-strikeout shutout performance in the March 31 series finale against Purdue Fort Wayne in which he ran his record to 4-1. McCay's 11 strikeouts are the most by a Jackrabbit pitcher this season. He also fanned 10 Western Illinois batters over seven innings on March 17 and leads the team with 48 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings.

McCay was the starting pitcher in the Jackrabbits' March 6 game at Alabama. He pitched the first two innings of the midweek game before turning the game over to the bullpen. In all, SDSU used 10 pitchers in the 6-5, 14-inning loss to the Crimson Tide, tying the mark for the most pitchers used in a Division I game this season.

Out of the bullpen, sophomore left-hander Bret Barnett has emerged as the top reliever on the staff. The Indianola, Iowa, native holds a 4-1 record with a 2.12 earned run average. He allowed only one run in his first 16 innings of the season over 10 appearances before suffering the loss in the April 5 series opener against Omaha. In sharing the team lead with three saves (with Drew Beazley), Barnett has struck out 18 batters — in 17 innings — and has limited the opposition to a .167 batting average (10-for-60).

FROOM MAKES COMEBACK: Ryan Froom completed the long road back from injury by making his first appearance in nearly two years in the Feb. 16 game against UT Martin.

A sixth-year senior, Froom struck out five, walked four and surrendered three hits over five innings in finishing with a no-decision. It marked Froom's appearance since March 25, 2017, at Oral Roberts, when he suffered an arm injury. He missed the remainder of the 2017 season and was granted an injury hardship. Froom also sat out the entire 2018 campaign before rejoining the team this past fall.

Froom got back into the win column March 2 as the Jackrabbits knocked off Missouri, 6-3. After giving up a run in the bottom of the first, Froom pitched four consecutive shutout frames before tiring in the sixth. He finished with a season-high six strikeouts, while allowing three runs on four hits with five walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Froom again recorded the victory in the second game of a March 9 doubleheader at UA Little Rock, going seven innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking four.

Froom has logged five or more innings in six of his eight starts this season to enter the weekend with a 3-2 record. He has notched 32 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings.

The Crystal, Minnesota, native became a mainstay in the Jackrabbit rotation starting with his sophomore season in 2015. He currently ranks in fourth place in program history with 42 games started and 236 innings pitched, while moving into ninth place in career strikeouts with 158.

GOING DEEP: Through the first 27 games of the 2019 season, the Jackrabbits have out-homered the opposition, 22-21, starting with a three-homer performance in the Feb. 15 season opener against UT Martin.

Nine different players have accounted for the Jackrabbit home runs, with Josh Falk taking over the team lead with five after hitting a pair in last weekend's series against Omaha. Gus Steiger and Drew Beazley have each hit four, while Braeden Brown, Logan Holtz and Ryan McDonald have each hit two.

Holtz and McDonald connected on back-to-back homers in the fifth inning of a Feb. 16 game against UT Martin. It was the first career home run for each and marked the second time in five games dating back to last season that the Jackrabbits hit consecutive home runs. Anthony Schneider and Tony Kjolsing led off a May 24 Summit League Baseball Championship game against Western Illinois with back-to-back homers.

SDSU hit a total of 10 home runs in its first six contests. The Jackrabbits then went 10 full games without a long ball until hitting three in the first three innings of the second game of a March 16 doubleheader against Western Illinois. Freshman Drew Beazley notched his first career home run, while Steiger and Falk each hit their second round-trippers of the season.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State was picked to finish second in the 2019 Summit League baseball race, according to a poll conducted among conference coaches that was announced Feb. 7 by league officials.

The Jackrabbits received one first-place vote, finishing with 21 points. Defending league champion Oral Roberts again paced the six-team race with five first-place votes and 25 points. North Dakota State completed the upper half of the poll with 17 points.

Rounding out the poll were: Western Illinois, 12 points; Omaha, 9 points, and Purdue Fort Wayne, 6 points.

The top four teams during the regular season will advance to the 2019 Summit League Baseball Championship, which is scheduled for May 22-25 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In addition, the Jackrabbits' Nick Smith and Brady Stover were recognized among the Summit League's top players to watch.

A two-time all-Summit League honoree, Smith has posted a batting average of better than .300 each of the past two seasons. Smith, a senior from Chanhassen, Minnesota, hit at a .303 clip with 18 runs batted in en route to first-team honors as a utility player in 2018.

Stover, a junior from Huxley, Iowa, posted a 3-2 record in 2018 with a 4.57 earned run average in 10 appearances, including nine starts. The left-hander struck out 63 batters in only 43.1 innings, setting an SDSU single-season record with an average of 13.09 strikeouts per nine innings. He also limited the opposition to a .203 batting average.

Stover began the year by striking out nine in five innings in the Feb. 15 season opener at UT Martin en route to Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. He has been sidelined by injury since a March 1 start at Central Arkansas, but is on track to pitch out of the bullpen this weekend.

SCHEDULE CHANGES GALORE: South Dakota State has yet to play a true home game this season due to adverse weather and field conditions at Erv Huether Field. The Jackrabbits' scheduled home opener April 3 against Dakota State was called off, as well as an April 9 home contest against Dakota Wesleyan. No makeup dates have been determined.

The Jackrabbits also had their March 20 game at Creighton called off.

COACH BISHOP: Rob Bishop, who has guided college baseball teams to more than 600 career victories, was named head baseball coach at South Dakota State University on Aug. 1, 2016. Bishop is the ninth head coach in program history and the fourth in the Division I era.

Now in his third season with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 58-66 record at SDSU, including a 36-27 mark in Summit League play.

In his first season, Bishop's 2017 squad returned to the winning side of the ledger with a 26-24 overall mark, including an 18-12 record for a third-place finish in The Summit League standings. SDSU won its opening-round game in the Summit League Baseball Championship, 6-5, over second-seeded North Dakota State.

In 2018, SDSU overcame a slow start to post a winning record in Summit League play at 14-13 and went on to reach the title game of the Summit League Baseball Championship. The Jackrabbits finished with an 18-32 overall record during a campaign in which they played only six home games.

Overall, Bishop holds a 607-391-1 record (.610 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He recorded career win No. 600 March 10 at UA Little Rock and will coach in his 1,000th collegiate game in Saturday's series opener versus North Dakota State.

Individually, Jackrabbit players have been honored as all-Summit League performers 10 times during his brief tenure, including six all-league selections in 2018. Utility player Nick Smith and third baseman Newt Johnson received all-Summit League recognition in both 2017 and 2018.

Prior to becoming head coach at SDSU, Bishop spent six years at NCAA Division II member Montana State University-Billings, where he led the Yellowjackets to back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season titles in 2015 and 2016, attaining the program's first-ever 30-win season with a 30-20 record in 2016. His squads also were honored as the top academic team in the GNAC each of his last three seasons.

Previously, Bishop spent 10 years at Miles City Community College in Montana, where his teams won MonDak conference championships every year. His squads also claimed five consecutive junior college region titles and a Northwest District championship in 2007 to advance to the NJCAA Division II College World Series. Bishop's teams won at least 30 games each of his 10 seasons, including four 40-win seasons. He ended his tenure at Miles City with a 377-151 overall record. He also served as athletic director his last five years at Miles City.

Bishop served as a graduate assistant at SDSU under head coach Mark Ekeland during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In his first season as a head coach, Bishop led Huron University to the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference title in 2000 with a 38-18 record.

A 1994 graduate of Jamestown College, Bishop earned NAIA All-America honors during the 1992 and 1994 seasons as an infielder.

THE ROSTER: The 2019 SDSU baseball roster features 31 players from seven different states and one Canadian province. Of the 31 players, 11 are from Iowa, eight are from Minnesota and seven hail from South Dakota. Arizona, Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin are represented by one player each, as is Manitoba.

By class, 10 are seniors, eight are juniors, four are sophomores, two are redshirt freshmen and seven are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to travel Tuesday to Minneapolis for a midweek matchup against Minnesota. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Siebert Field.

SDSU will then open the second half of the Summit League season by taking on Western Illinois in a three-game series April 19-21. Exact schedule and location are to be determined.

-GoJacks.com-